Samantha of the Island

I am home this weekend. Michaela wanted me to be around for homecoming since Mom and Dad couldn't be. So far, it's been great. Coming home is not usually this pleasant. I should learn that my expectations mean nothing this fall.

I'm going to fairy-tale it up now:

That night, Aurelia left Hardenstall with several lists of orders, bags of clothes needing mending, and only 10 hours in which to complete everything. No one actually expected her to finish, but for some reason, no one argued when she continued to take orders.
Back at her cottage, Aurelia went through her normal routine with her animals. She sat down to work, completely un-phased--humming pleasantly to herself. As she hummed, the clothes that needed mending seemed to stir in the bag, which glowed just a little. The skirt she was working on formed in her hands as she traced the patter on the fabric. No sewing, no pins, just touch. As much as it should have looked unnatural, Aurelia's nonchalant behavior made it seemed that every piece of clothing ever came into being this way. The animals made no movement. It was normal for them as well. She checked each order off the list, and within just a few hours, she had completed her work.
As she finished the last item, she stared out the window and jumped. Instead of the lights of Luren, something closer, something green loomed closer on the horizon.
"It's coming together," she whispered. She knew it was strange that anyone from Shorin would ever stoop so low as to pay attention to Hardenstall. Aurelia smiled. Something stirred inside her--something she had never felt before--excitement. She hummed faster; she couldn't be tied down with chores tomorrow morning. The Representatives from Shorin were coming, and she needed to make an impression.

Right at My Fingertips

It's really funny how I can have plans--really really good ones--and then somehow, something happens and suddenly, my plans have to be altered. Still good plans, but definitely not what I expected.

Yesterday, I took yet another step in the adventure to LA. It feels really real right now, and I feel young and vulnerable.

Vulnerability seems to be the lesson The Big Guy has been trying to teach me later. I've been praying more, hoping for his strength and guidance. As much as we grew closer this summer, I became a little complacent and fell back into self-reliance.

I'm going to skip the fairy tale tonight. Too much else to write. More later.

Why Am I Taking Psychology of Women?

All is well. I've already got more homework than last semester, which is great, and (perhaps) a means of downloading textbooks for free. We shall see. But I am going to end up more misogynistic than ever if Wednesdays keep up like this. Oh well. Women are just people like men are just people and every person is different. It's that simple.

I miss way too many people these days. Perhaps I should stop talking. But that's just trite--using Catcher in the Rye like that. Apologies, droogs.

Now, back to our story:

Aurelia was quite content with her life--not that anyone ever asked. She had a cat and a wrinkly dog that accompanied her as she tended to her house on the cliff. In addition to her house, she had a fairly large garden, four sheep, chickens, an alpaca, and some visiting birds for which she cared. At night, she would take whatever vegetable for dinner and perhaps a chicken and prepare dinner for herself. Most clear nights, since Evars is a temperate kingdom and Hardenstall the best climate in all of it, she would eat on her back porch overlooking the vast lake. Some nights, she thought she could see lights from the neighboring kingdom of Luren. Though not terribly friendly, Luren left Evars well enough alone, so lights were all Aurelia ever got to see. She dreamed of the day that a ship might break the horizon. The cliff was near a great little grotto, perfect for anchoring ships. Strangers, visitors, new faces would be great.
One day, the warmest day, Aurelia woke ready for chores. She took last night's table scraps to her alpaca, fed the chickens, let the sheep out to pasture, and grabbed a pile of finished garments to be taken into town.
"Let's see, I have Madame Gorin's skirt, mended yet again--she'd better be more careful leaving her carriage. And the new baby clothes for the Lenendorfs. Ah, and Judge Carapel's new gown. Quite a stately number indeed. Let's hope it lasts."
As she counted items, she ambled down her pathway, accidentally shutting the gate on her cat.
The walk into town was just as normal as always. Birds flew overhead in the warm wind, and no travelers passed Aurelia. No one ever visited her, and since she was the only person living on this road, no one ever took it. She only got visitors in events of fashion emergencies--torn hems on the afternoon of a grand dance, a stain the day before a wedding. No one ever actually came to see Aurelia.
When she arrived in town, everyone she passed greeted her haphazardly. She went to her store--a room she rented from the florist--and waited for new demands and owners to come get old clothes.
Judge Carapel was the first to arrive.
"Hello, Aurelia. Is the gown ready?"
"Yes, Madame Judge. I hope it's to your liking," said Aurelia, grabbing the robe and presenting it to Judge Carapel.
"Oh marvelous. Just what I needed. We have some representatives from Shorin coming to visit! I don't know why, but I do know that they have important matters to discuss with our Mayor Ferlun."
"Well, I am glad that you think my work represents Hardenstall so well."

Shorin, at the center of Evars, was the great kingdom's capital city. Aurelia had actually lived there as a child, but remembered very little out of the hustle and bustle. In fact, this was the time Aurelia had lived with her family, and she remembered nothing of them at all. After Judge Carapel left, Hardenstall's residence poured into the shop, making requests for all sorts of finery in time to impress the king's representative's from Shorin. Aurelia wrote everything down and carefully planned her schedule to accommodate all the decadent demands. After several hours of lines out her door, residents expected Aurelia to start turning people away. However, she continued to simply take orders and measurements and old garments needing to be made new. No one believed she could get everything done, but Aurelia never said a word.

Hellweek, Revisited

I am still alive after last week. There is a God, and he does perform miracles.
When I arrived at my apartment in Chicago, a monster had set up a lair in what I thought would be my own little 26th floor paradise. Not wanting to disturb her monstrosity, I switched rooms only to get sick with an ear infection. That was something entirely new to me. Thank goodness it wasn't mono.
Sabrina, my new roommate, was a good sport about all of this, and I'm very glad to say that I am finally unpacked and she and I have a great little 17th floor apartment that everyone should come visit. (We have two extra beds in the closet... seriously... stop by.)

Now, to tackle this semester--what may be my last in Chicago. EEE!

Somedays, I wish I could just write a fairy tale. Perhaps that will be the purpose of this blog: to create my own serial fairy tale, complete with all the magic and tragedy and romance that every good fairy tale should have.
Here goes:

Once upon a time, in a land over seas and mountains in the west, lived a beautiful girl named Aurelia. She lived alone on a broad cliff overlooking a deep and blue lake. Sometimes, she would walk down the cliff, beneath the part that jutted out over the water, and spend time along the water. Other times, she would walk the path that lead to Hardenstall, the little town nearby. She was a seamstress, so she would meet with her clients in the town, delivering newly finished dresses, trousers, and blouses for anyone who wanted really good craftsmanship. She was known throughout the nearby villages as well for her expertise in weaving fabrics, invisible stiching, and fade-resistant dyes. Everyone in Hardenstall practically worshiped her for making them the most beautiful town in the kingdom of Evars. However, for all her merits among the townspeople, Aurelia did not have many friends. She dressed plainly, sang to herself as she walked into town, and refused the advances of the town's many eligible bachelors. Many thought her touched in the head, while a few others whispered of her snobbery. You see, her skills had made her very rich, and, because she lived alone in a small cottage and dressed simply, she had saved enough money to be the richest citizen in Hardenstall. Many of the towns more decadent residents resented her for this.
So Aurelia lived her life, an unknown celebrity on the edge of a lake at the edge of a town on the edge of a great kingdom.

Stay tuned for another post...